Freshmen add to women's basketball backcourt
Freshmen Jalisa Olive and twins Stefanie and Rachel Mauk could have their presence felt immediately in the backcourt of the CMU women’s basketball team.
With a blend of youth and experience at the guard positions, Olive said the group has yet to gel.
“There is more to come (from the back court). We are just starting out, and everybody is getting used to each other,” she said. “As the season goes on, we are going to progress, and it is going to get better.”
Olive, a 5-foot 4-inch point guard from Chicago, plays a fast-paced style that allows her to keep defenders away for open shots.
In her collegiate debut in a Nov. 1 exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State, she scored a game-high 25 points and had five offensive rebounds. Olive said the difference was minimal between playing now and at home.
“It is just like playing ball. I did not expect to start; I just feel like when I play, I go hard,” she said. “They (upperclassmen) just teach me what to do.”
Experience
In CMU’s first game of the season against No. 17 DePaul, junior Shonda Long scored a career-high 30 points, while Holman added seven.
Long said the freshmen bring 3-point shooting to the lineup.
“With Stefanie (Mauk), it is her 3-point shot because she can knock them down,” Long said. “With Jalisa, she can break down the defense and get anybody open and she can also shoot the three. Rachel (Mauk) can also shoot the three and get to the basket, too.”
The freshmen bring different elements to the court that give CMU’s lineup more versatility.
“They came in really hungry to want to get in and fit in with the team and play, and you can tell they’ve been working on their shots, especially the twins,” Holman said.
Holman said the backcourt has to improve off its recent performances against DePaul and Illinois going forward.
“We played DePaul, and the guards did decent,” she said. “But we have some work to do and it’s a long season.”
